Teatime in Manchester, City of Cotton

The Lowry Hotel

50 Dearmans Place, Chapel Wharf, Salford, Manchester M3 5LH

+44 161 827 4000 • thelowryhotel.com

Manchester’s best loved artist is L. S. Lowry (1887–1976), whose distinctive urban landscapes, with their matchstick people and dogs, mirror the harsh, rather bleak past life of the industrial city. Lowry worked and exhibited around Salford, the dock area of the city, and it is here that the award-winning Lowry Hotel, named for the artist, dominates Chapel Wharf with its tall curved glass façade and vast luxurious lobby, where twinkling lights and very friendly staff offer a lovely warm welcome. Afternoon tea is served in the recently refurbished first floor River Restaurant with views over the River Irwell, an important trading route during the Industrial Revolution. The bright room is immediately appealing with its eye-catching bronze, tangerine, and caramel colour scheme, cascading plants, and warm amber lighting. A piano plays gently in the background as the chic circular cake stand is delivered to the table, bearing neat finger sandwiches, lovely light scones with thick strawberry preserves and rich Cornish clotted cream, and a selection of superb pastries. Goodies—such as passionfruit and white chocolate gâteau, redcurrant and fromage frais roulade, and matcha green tea and muscovado caramel gateaux—change through the seasons in tune with special events.

The tea list tells its own fascinating story and connects the hotel with local tea company Tea from the Manor, owned and run by the energetic James Green. James started his tea business in 2005 after a highly distinguished career in the army and markets his teas with as much dedication and commitment as he gave to his years in the military. As he explains, “Tea is central to a life of soldiering in good times and in times of conflict, and this gave me the drive and passion to set up Tea from the Manor.” The list of some 70 teas and herbals that he supplies to The Lowry Hotel include classic black, white, and green teas, and a number of flavoured blends. These include the special Lowry Blend that mixes black tea with a hint of citrus and a generous scattering of blue flowers and rose and sunflower petals in honor of Lowry, who did sometimes introduce splashes of colour to the grey industrial backdrop of his paintings. Tea from the Manor also makes tea timers from old cotton bobbins that once fed the looms in those now redundant mills. The Lowry Hotel’s Afternoon Tea gently reminds guests of all the most important chapters in the city’s story—L. S. Lowry, the city’s industrial past, the waterways and trading routes, the current revitalization, and quality loose-leaf tea that continues to refresh and sustain Manchester today.